LYC Opti Sailors Excel at National Team Trials; Harry Koeppel Qualifies for World Team

April 29-May 2, 2010
Kemah, TX

LYC sent nine of its finest junior sailors to Texas Corinthian Yacht Club for the 2010 United States Optimist National Team Trials. After 13 windy races, five LYC sailors placed in the top 26 of the 185-boat fleet and were selected to compete in several top international Optimist regattas. The strong showing was capped by Harry Koeppel’s fifth place finish, making Koeppel the first ever LYC junior to qualify for the Optimist World Team. Koeppel will compete at the 2010 Optimist World Championship, to be held in Malaysia in late December.

LYC’s Harry Koeppel (17071) leads fellow World team member Chris Williford (15705) around a weather mark.   Photo by Davis Gaynes

 

The windy conditions stirred up the chop on Galveston Bay, and the large number of races demanded strength and stamina from the young sailors. The LYC juniors met the challenge, with Koeppel reeling off a string of firsts and seconds over a five-race span to lock up the World team berth, finishing only two points out of third. Drew Gallagher finished 14th and qualified for the European Championship, to be held in Poland in July. Ty Ingram finished 15th, Reinier Eenkema van Dijk 23rd and Casey Klingler 26th to each qualify for the North American Championship, to be held in Kingston, Ontario in late June (though Klingler opted not to take a spot at North Americans to begin her 420 racing career). Jack Budill (75th), Matt Kaplan (80th), Chrissie Klingler (101st) and Elizabeth Hansen (121st) also sailed well and will likely be selected to be members of the national team or the national development team, as well as to compete in other international events over the coming weeks. Results